Showing papers by "Edinburgh Napier University published in 2003"

Hyper-Heuristics: An Emerging Direction in Modern Search Technology

Abstract: This chapter introduces and overviews an emerging methodology in search and optimisation. One of the key aims of these new approaches, which have been termed hyperheuristics, is to raise the level of generality at which optimisation systems can operate. An objective is that hyper-heuristics will lead to more general systems that are able to handle a wide range of problem domains rather than current meta-heuristic technology which tends to be customised to a particular problem or a narrow class of problems. Hyper-heuristics are broadly concerned with intelligently choosing the right heuristic or algorithm in a given situation. Of course, a hyper-heuristic can be (often is) a (meta-)heuristic and it can operate on (meta-)heuristics. In a certain sense, a hyper-heuristic works at a higher level when compared with the typical application of meta-heuristics to optimisation problems, i.e., a hyper-heuristic could be thought of as a (meta)-heuristic which operates on lower level (meta-)heuristics. In this chapter we will introduce the idea and give a brief history of this emerging area. In addition, we will review some of the latest work to be published in the field.

Evaluation of qualitative research

Abstract: It is necessary to subject published research to critical scrutiny, in order to evaluate the robustness of the findings. The criteria used in evaluation require to be appropriate for the research paradigm, i.e. quantitative or qualitative. Quantitative conceptualizations of reliability and validity are unsuitable for evaluation of qualitative research as they were not devised for this purpose. The use of quantitative criteria to evaluate qualitative research may create the impression that the latter is not academically rigorous. Evaluation criteria which are specific to qualitative research require identification and application, in order to provide a formalized and rigorous approach to critical appraisal. A formalized framework for evaluation will help to ensure that the contribution of qualitative studies, with specific reference to health services research, receives optimum recognition. The work of a number of writers is used in this paper to examine the features which distinguish qualitative research and the following are discussed: the need for researcher reflexivity; the use of the 'first person' in academic work; the context in which research takes place; the selection of research participants; the interpretation of participants' accounts; the active acknowledgement of 'lay' knowledge; researcher flexibility within the research process; the generalizability of findings. It is concluded that academically rigorous criteria, which are appropriate for evaluation of qualitative research, exist and are available for use by practitioners and researchers.

The role of free radicals in the toxic and inflammatory effects of four different ultrafine particle types

Abstract: PM10 contains an ultrafine component, which is generally derived from combustion processes. This ultrafine fraction may be a factor in the increases in exacerbations of respiratory disease and deaths from cardiorespiratory causes associated with transient increases in levels of PM10. By using four different ultrafine particles (carbon black, cobalt, nickel, and titanium dioxide), we set out to determine the attributes of the ultrafine particle (surface area, chemical composition, particle number, or surface reactivity) that contribute most to its toxicity and proinflammatory effects both in vivo and in vitro. Instillation of 125 micro g ultrafine carbon black (UFCB) and ultrafine cobalt (UFCo) particles induced a significant influx of neutrophils at both 4 and 18 h postinstillation. Accompanying the influx of neutrophils was an increase in macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2) (at 4 h) and an increase in gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (at 18 h) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL). Ultrafine nickel (UFNi) did not induce a significant increase in neutrophil influx until 18 h postinstillation. The increase in neutrophils induced by UFNi at this timepoint was comparable to that induced by UFCo and UFCB. UFTi did not induce a significant increase in neutrophils following instillation into the rat lung. The levels of MIP-2 observed at 4 h and neutrophil influx at 18 h induced by the particle samples were consistent with the pattern of surface free radical generation (as measured by the plasmid scission assay) whereby UFCo, UFCB, and UFNi all cause significant increases in inflammatory markers, as well as inducing a significant depletion of supercoiled plasmid DNA, indicative of hydroxyl radical generation. A role for free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mediating ultrafine inflammation is further strengthened by the ability of the antioxidants N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and glutathione monoethyl ester (GSHme) to block the particle induced release of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) from alveolar macrophages in vitro. The ultrafine particles in PM10 may cause adverse effects via oxidative stress, and this could have implications for susceptible individuals. Susceptible individuals, such as those with COPD or asthma, already exhibit preexisting oxidative stress and hence are in a primed state for further oxidative stress induced by occupational or environmental particles.

Eutrophication and some European waters of restricted exchange

Abstract: Regions of Restricted Exchange (RREs) are an important feature of the European coastline. They are historically preferred sites for human settlement and aquaculture and their ecosystems, and consequent human use, may be at risk from eutrophication. The OAERRE project (EVK3-CT1999-0002) concerns ‘Oceanographic Applications to Eutrophication in Regions of Restricted Exchange’. It began in July 2000, and studies six sites. Four of these sites are fjords: Kongsfjorden (west coast of Spitzbergen); Gullmaren (Skagerrak coast of Sweden); Himmerfj. arden (Baltic coast of Sweden); and the Firth of Clyde (west coast of Scotland). Two are bays sheltered by sand bars: Golfe de Fos (French Mediterranean); and Ria Formosa (Portuguese Algarve). Together they exemplify a range of hydrographic and enrichment conditions. The project aims to understand the physical, biogeochemical and biological processes, and their interactions, that determine the trophic status of these coastal marine RRE through the development of simple screening models to define, predict and assess eutrophication. This paper introduces the sites and describes the component parts of a basic screening model and its application to each site using historical data. The model forms the starting point for the OAERRE project and views an RRE as a well-mixed box, exchanging with the sea at a daily rate E determined by physical processes, and converting nutrient to phytoplankton chlorophyll at a fixed yield q: It thus uses nutrient levels to estimate maximum biomass; these preliminary results are discussed in relation to objective criteria used to assess trophic status. The influence of factors such as grazing and vertical mixing on key parameters in the screening model are further studied using simulations of a complex‘research’ model for the Firth of Clyde. The future

What is `Alternative' Journalism?

Abstract: The recent flurry of research into alternative media (most significant being the book-length studies by Atton, 2002, Downing, 2001, Rodriguez, 2001, and Part 3 of Couldry, 2000) has illuminated contemporary practices within alternative media that present ways of reporting radically different from those of the mainstream. Rodriguez (2001) has conceptualized such media as ‘citizens’ media’. By this she means a philosophy of journalism and a set of practices that are embedded within the everyday lives of citizens, and media content that is both driven and produced by those people. Approached in this way alternative media may be understood as a radical challenge to the professionalized and institutionalized practices of the mainstream media. Alternative media privileges a journalism that is closely wedded to notions of social responsibility, replacing an ideology of ‘objectivity’ with overt advocacy and oppositional practices. Its practices emphasize first person, eyewitness accounts by participants; a reworking of the populist approaches of tabloid newspapers to recover a ‘radical popular’ style of reporting; collective and antihierarchical forms of organization which eschew demarcation and specialization – and which importantly suggest an inclusive, radical form of civic journalism. Whilst recent scholarship has provided us with richly theorized empirical accounts of alternative media praxis (and, in particular, the use of such media by new social movement actors), it has had little to say about the historical conditions under which these media enact their journalism; it offers little understanding about the role and status of these alternative journalists; much less does it present what such journalism actually looks like. The aim of this issue of Journalism is to address these absences. Alert to the journal’s subtitle, we hope to present contributions that critically assess the nature of alternative journalism and propose theoretical bases from which to explore both historical and current practices. By way of laying some groundwork for what follows, let us begin with those dimensions of alternative media practice that have to do with economics Journalism

Histone acetylation regulates epithelial IL-8 release mediated by oxidative stress from environmental particles

Abstract: Increases in the levels of environmental particulate matter with a diameter of <10 μm diameter (PM10) in the air are associated with a variety of adverse health effects, particularly chronic lung a...

Comparative toxicity of standard nickel and ultrafine nickel in lung after intratracheal instillation.

Abstract: A comparison was made of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) response to ultrafine nickel (Uf-Ni) and standard-sized nickel (Std-Ni). Rats were intratracheally instilled with 0, 0.1, 0.5, 1 and 5 mg Uf-Ni and Std-Ni, respectively. At 3 d after instillation, the body weight and wet lung weight were determined. At the same time, BALF was analyzed for lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), total protein (TP), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and total cell and differential cell counts. The results showed that indicators of lung injury and inflammation in BALF were markedly raised with increased Uf-Ni and Std-Ni for each from 0 to 1 mg, and there were no differences in the indices between instillation of Uf-Ni at 1 mg and 5 mg. The results also showed that the effects of Uf-Ni on the indices were significantly higher than those of Std-Ni. Additional groups of rats were intratracheally instilled with 1 mg of Uf-Ni or Std-Ni, and wet lung weight and BALF profiles were analyzed at 1, 3, 7, 15 and 30 d later. The effect of Uf-Ni and Std-Ni on indices that can be presumed to reflect epithelial injury and permeability (LDH or TP), and release of proinflammatory cytokine (TNF-alpha) were increased throughout the 30 d post-exposure and the effects of Uf-Ni on these indices were significantly higher than those of Std-Ni from 1 to 30 d after instillation. Moreover, the number of neutrophils and LDH activity in BALF of rats after exposure to Uf-Ni were significantly greater than those of Std-Ni-exposed rats up to 30 d after instillation. Our findings suggest that Uf-Ni has a much more toxic effect on the lung than St-Ni, but the mechanism remains to be elucidated.

Designing information spaces: the social navigation approach

Abstract: Editors' Introduction: Footprints in the Snow.- I Systems and Theories.- 1 Social Translucence: Using Minimalist Visualisations of Social Activity to Support Collective Interaction.- 2 Collaborative Filtering: Supporting Social Navigation in Large, Crowded Infospaces.- 3 Screen Scenery: Learning from Architecture and People's Practices of Navigation in Electronic Environments.- 4 Navigating the Virtual Landscape: Coordinating the Shared Use of Space.- 5 Experiential Design of Shared Information Spaces.- 6 GeoNotes: A Location-based Information System for Public Spaces.- 7 Footsteps from the Garden: Arcadian Knowledge Spaces.- 8 Social Navigation of Food Recipes: Designing Kalas.- 9 Results from the Footprints Project.- 10 WebPlaces: Using Intermediaries to Add People to the Web.- II Theories and Principles.- 11 Where the Footprints Lead: Tracking Down Other Roles for Social Navigation.- 12 Social Connotations of Space in the Design for Virtual Communities and Social Navigation.- 13 Informatics, Architecture and Language.- 14 Information that Counts: A Sociological View of Social Navigation.- 15 Navigation: Within and Beyond the Metaphor in Interface Design and Evaluation.- 16 The Conceptual Structure of Information Space.- 17 Information Space Navigation: A Framework.- References.

Work‐life policy: does it do exactly what it says on the tin?

Abstract: Policies which help employees balance their work and non‐work priorities have become increasingly popular among UK employers in recent years. Along with a legislative imperative for family leave‐related policies, employers are being encouraged to introduce work‐life policies and make them more inclusive in order to enhance their business performance. This paper looks at how four financial services organisations have approached the work‐life balance agenda and examines the fit between the organisational intentions for work‐life policy and actual outcomes for both organisations and employees. Culture played a large part in determining the experience of policies but so did resources. What managers were being asked to achieve in the business was often incompatible with formal work‐life policies. Despite the rhetoric, work‐life balance was still viewed as a tool for, and was used by female parents, limiting its potential to achieve the promoted business benefits.

Migratory Timing of Humpback Whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) in the Central North Pacific Varies with Age, Sex and Reproductive Status

Abstract: Humpback whales migrate seasonally between high-latitude summer feeding grounds and low-latitude winter breeding grounds. Identification photographs of humpback whales were collected in the Hawaiian Islands between 1977 and 1995, and sighting histories were compiled for individuals. Analyses revealed that (a) mean dates of first identification were significantly earlier for juveniles and females with no calf than for males and females with a calf off the Big Island, and significantly earlier for juveniles than for females with no calf, males and females with a calf off Maui; and (b) mean dates of last identification were significantly earlier for juveniles and females with no calf than for males and females with a calf off the Big Island, and significantly earlier for females with no calf than for males and females with a calf off Maui. A within-subjects comparison showed that the date of first identification tended to be later for individual females in the years when they had a calf than in the years during which they had no calf. It was concluded that (a) migratory timing varies as a function of age, sex and reproductive status, (b) migratory timing is intimately connected with reproductive success and (c) migratory timing has important consequences for our understanding of humpback whale behaviour on the winter grounds.

Family leave policies and devolution to the line

Abstract: Using evidence drawn from case studies in four companies in the Scottish financial sector, this paper examines how both statutory and company family leave policies are operated by line managers. This paper considers the extent of line managers’ knowledge of statutory and company family leave policies and finds that their knowledge, particularly of statutory measures, is often wanting. In exploring the reasons for this situation, training on statutory and company family leave policies was found to be extremely limited and although support from human resource professionals was provided, line managers only referred to them in exceptional circumstances. This situation has clear implications both for consistency of operation of these policies and for the role of human resource professionals in ensuring that statutory and company provisions are effectively put into practice.

The determinants of the demand for life insurance in an emerging economy – the case of China

Abstract: In the past two decades, many emerging economies have been witnessed the strong growth of their life insurance industry. While research in the demand for life insurance has attracted much attention since the 1960s, most studies have focused on cross‐country studies or well‐established markets in developed countries. As a result of cross‐national variations in life insurance consumption, it has been argued in the literature that factors shaping the demand for life insurance are complex and varied from one country to another. This paper aims to examine key determinants of the demand for life insurance in China with a view to explaining the rapid growth of the life insurance industry in China since its economic reform in 1978. Empirical investigation using a time series data analysis has shown that the main factors which have influenced people in China to purchase life insurance products are directly associated with the successful economic reform leading people to progress to higher layers of economic security, the increase in the level of education and the change in social structure. However, this research has not found a negative effect of inflation on life insurance consumption, even China experienced high inflation in the mid‐1990s.

Learning a procedure that can solve hard bin-packing problems: a new GA-based approach to hyper-heuristics

Abstract: The idea underlying hyper-heuristics is to discover some combination of familiar, straightforward heuristics that performs very well across a whole range of problems. To be worthwhile, such a combination should outperform all of the constituent heuristics. In this paper we describe a novel messy-GA-based approach that learns such a heuristic combination for solving one-dimensional bin-packing problems. When applied to a large set of benchmark problems, the learned procedure finds an optimal solution for nearly 80% of them, and for the rest produces an answer very close to optimal. When compared with its own constituent heuristics, it ranks first in 98% of the problems.

Using curves to enhance parallel coordinate visualisations

Abstract: We introduce a number of refinements to the parallel coordinates visualisation metaphor for multidimensional data. Firstly, the traditional set of polylines are replaced with a collection of smooth curves across the attribute axes, allowing individual data elements to be traced under certain limitations; normally impossible due to the 'crossing problem'. Then the notion of spreading out points on axes with a few discrete values is introduced, which leads onto a simple focus+context technique when the user selects values on such axes.

Electronic democracy and young people

Abstract: This article examines action to address young people's apathy to the democratic process and politics in general, by considering possibilities for using information and communication technology to engage young people. The article describes two e-democracy systems in use in Scotland, which provide young people with opportunities to participate in and understand democratic decision making. The systems are designed to allow young people to deliberate issues of importance to them. The Highland Council initiative involves young people in the design of a web site for their youth parliament with online debates and Internet voting. The Young Scot initiative is a national youth portal, including an e-democracy channel. The emphasis here is on content management and moderation of e-consultations for young people. Research indicates that democracy is best taught by practicing it and that many young people are comfortable using new information and communication technologies. These ideas form the basis of both projects.

A developmental method for growing graphs and circuits

Abstract: A review is given of approaches to growing neural networks and electronic circuits. A new method for growing graphs and circuits using a developmental process is discussed. The method is inspired by the view that the cell is the basic unit of biology. Programs that construct circuits are evolved to build a sequence of digital circuits at user specified iterations. The programs can be run for an arbitrary number of iterations so circuits of huge size could be created that could not be evolved. It is shown that the circuit building programs are capable of correctly predicting the next circuit in a sequence of larger even parity functions. The new method however finds building specific circuits more difficult than a non-developmental method.

Reshaping Social Movement Media for a New Millennium

Abstract: This article contextualizes Indymedia, the Internet-based network of Independent Media Centres (IMCs) that has developed since the 30 November protests in Seattle against the World Trade Organization talks there in 1999. In a short space of time this network has become the backbone of communication for the broad coalition of groups that comprise the anti-capitalism movement. Context is sought from three perspectives: first, through a consideration of new social movement use of the Internet as a radical, socio-technical paradigm to challenge the dominant, neoliberal and technologically determinist model of information and communication technologies (ICTs). This perspective is approached through Paschal Preston's recent work on ICTs in late modernity ('Reshaping Communications: Technology, Information and Social Change', London: Sage, 2001). Second, the article regards Indymedia as the most current manifestation of radical Internet use. It examines the (inevitably) brief history of such use, exploring examp...

Characteristics of grass pollen seasons in areas of southern Spain and the United Kingdom

Abstract: Spatial and temporal variations in daily grasspollen counts and weather variables aredescribed for two regions with differentbio-geographical and climatic regimes, southernSpain and the United Kingdom. Daily averagegrass pollen counts are considered from sixpollen-monitoring sites, three in southernSpain (Ciudad Real, Cordoba and Priego) andthree in the United Kingdom (Edinburgh,Worcester and Cambridge). Analysis shows thatrainfall and maximum temperatures are importantfactors controlling the magnitude of the grasspollen season in both southern Spain and theUnited Kingdom, and that the strength anddirection of the influence exerted by thesevariables varies with geographical location andtime.

Global Airlines: Competition in a transnational industry

Abstract: Global Airlines: Competition in a transnational industry by Pat Hanlon. Reviewed by Martin Robertson

Internal customer: by design or by default

Abstract: The core concept of “customer” in marketing began as a buyer of business goods and services. It was extended into non‐business areas such as education, health, politics and religion. Now it stands poised to enter organisational life. At issue here is our understanding of what it means to be a “customer”. Aims to question the legitimacy of applying the concept “customer” to employees. In exploring this makes a contrast between the “traditional” customer as we have come to know it and “life” as an employee. Suggests a test of legitimacy in which a number of factors characteristic of the “traditional” customer are discussed with a view to determining whether they can accommodate the employee as a potential internal customer. Concludes that the concept is inappropriate for employees given what is known of organisational life and the employees’ place within it. There is considerable conceptual elasticity in the way the concept “customer” is being used that will cast serious doubt over the prospect for the achievement of internal marketing aims.

The value of conserving whales: the impacts of cetacean‐related tourism on the economy of rural West Scotland

Abstract: During the tourist season of 2000, interview surveys were conducted with those involved in whale-watching in West Scotland. The groups included in the study were boat operators (32), visitor- centre managers (8), tourists on whale-watching trips (324), general tourists to West Scotland (673) and local residents (189). The latter two groups were interviewed for comparison of responses of those engaged in whale-watching against the views of the local community and tourists in general. From the data provided by these interviews, estimates for the economic value of this specialist sector of the Scottish tourism industry were calculated. 2. Extrapolating from the surveys, in the year 2000, an estimated total of approximately 242 000 tourists were involved in cetacean-related tourism activities in West Scotland. 3. In 2000, 59 full-time and one part-time jobs were estimated to be created as the direct result of cetacean-related tourism, with 38% of these positions being seasonal. 4. Cetacean-related tourism was estimated to account for 2.5% of the total income from tourism in the region. In remote coastal areas, cetacean-related tourism may account for as much as 12% of the area's total tourism income. 5. The direct economic income (i.e. expenditure on excursion tickets) from cetacean tourism activities was estimated to be £1.77 million per annum. 6. A 23% of surveyed whale watchers visited West Scotland specifically to go on whale-watching trips. The associated expenditure (accommodation, travel, food, etc.) from tourists being brought to rural West Scotland solely due to the presence of whales represented £5.1 million in additional tourism income for the region. 7. In addition to the above tourists, 16% of surveyed whale watchers stayed in West Scotland an extra night as a result of going on a whale-watching trip; thus generating a further £0.9 million of additional associated expenditure (extra accommodation, food, etc.). 8. The total gross income generated (directly and indirectly) by cetacean-related tourism in rural West Scotland was estimated at £7.8 million.